Marc Jacobs’s NYFW 2019 Runway Show Was All About the Joy of Dressing Up

Every NYFW, our editorial team looks forward to the Marc Jacobs runway show. Not only because the designer’s fashion collections are always amazing, but also because every year the designer’s time slot is the very last one of NYFW, which feels bittersweet since it marks the official end of New York Fashion Week. However, it also means that the rest of fashion month is just beginning.

This year Marc Jacobs’s show took place on the 18th anniversary of September 11, and the designer took this as an opportunity to talk about the occasion. In his show notes, he referenced a Paper magazine review of his Spring/Summer 2001 show that took place during NYFW in September 2001, the night before the terrible tragedy.

“On the Monday evening before 9/11, Marc Jacobs showed a star-studded fashion show at Pier 54, with the twin towers glistening but a few hundred yards away,” reads the review. “Glamorous, celebrity-packed and incidentally poignant (the direction was a 1970s flower child)…seen in the context of a tragically dazzling snapshot of life in New York before the world changed the next morning.”

Marc then went on to pay tribute to his late friend David Rivers and others who lost their lives in the tragedy by writing, “…it has been 18 years and a day we will never forget.”

The designer seemed to find a connection to our current dystopian times and also some lightness in the memory, saying, “This show like that show…is a celebration of life, joy, equality, individuality, optimism, happiness, indulgence, dreams, and a future unwritten…” And this message carried through to the gorgeous clothes and incredible beauty looks that came down the runway, bringing the past into the present and referencing everything from “the genius of Karl [Lagerfeld]” to “the bright-eyed positivity of Doris Day” and the “boundary-pushing, brilliantly cast and hyper-stylized Euphoria.”

With this show, the brand showed a diverse yet cohesive collection that felt boho chic, 1970s-inspired with bits of the early aughts thrown. Throughout the show models looked happy, swinging their arms and tipping their big hats to the crowd, which gave a distinct sense of comfort, ease, and joy. Also, instead of showcasing all of the looks at the very end, as is typical with most fashion shows, the show actually started with all of the models walking from one end of the very large space toward the audience and through the small, intimate crowd. With bold and eclectic fits, the models looked like the cast of a theatrical play while a version of the renowned song “Dream a Little Dream of Me” played in the background, setting the tone for the night. Already, the mood was optimistic, bright, and fun.

Amid several sharply tailored outfits in the collection (including a neon purple sequin one!), there was a red dress with a white collar and white daisy flowers, and a voluminous dress made out of massive petals, which both could be seen as modern-day interpretations of the 1970s flower child he was said to have referenced in his 2001 collection. Flower child is a term that was once associated with hippies and young people in the late 1960s, signifying unity and peace. In a time when the country feels increasingly divided, this message felt especially relevant.

The collection was youthful through and through, in a way that felt needed and necessary. There was a knit dress that was glittery and knee-length while the model wore tights with purple heels and two French braids, à la Jules from Euphoria. One-legged pants also made an appearance, with a denim number that was worn with matching knee-high boots and a cat sweater.

There were also exaggerated silhouettes, with some looking jester-like and others resembling colorful ribbons or gift wrap. One model wore a green dress that reminded me of the character in Little Red Riding Hood, but you know it was green and shiny, almost like scrunched-up wrapping after you rip open a present. The bright green color and experimental silhouette emitted a refreshing sense of cheerfulness.

Ultimately, Marc Jacobs’s collection felt like a beautifully tied bow at the end of a long and inspiring week that was full of emotion and optimism. On Instagram, the brand shared a statement about the collection from the designer along with a video of the opening scene, saying, “This show…is a celebration of life, joy, equality, individuality, optimism, happiness, indulgence, dreams and a future unwritten as we continue to learn from our past and the history of fashion.” I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect conclusion to a week chock full of incredible fashion.”

Another post continued the same playful and motivational sentiment: “As with closely guarded tradition, tonight is our reminder of the joy in dressing up, our unadulterated love of fashion and embracing grand gestures of unbridled expressions, reactions, ideas, and possibilities.”

Thanks for the colorful and stylish reminder, Marc! We can’t wait to see who wears these pieces in the coming year.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue